Internet Safety Guide For Parents: Social Networking Web Sites

Internet Safety Guide For Parents:

Social Networking Web Sites

Introduction Internet Predators

Internet Basics Social Networking

Usernames & E-mail On-line Safety Tips

IMing & Chat Rooms Helpful Resources

Cyberbullying

What are social networking web sites?

Social networking web sites like Myspace and Facebook are new in this decade. They are like a cross between a virtual yearbook and an on-line club house. Teens can join a social networking site to post personal profiles including photos, music, and videos, and to chat with their friends. When Facebook was first launched in 2004, the intent of the web site’s creators was to monitor the activity of the site’s members. Now, with membership in the millions, this kind of policing has become impossible. It is easy for anyone to create an account on these sites, and for predators to access the profiles and information of thousands of members.

Many teens and young adults use social networking sites as a journal, posting details of their daily activities. Many of them don’t realize that their personal information can be viewed by just about anybody. In this way, a determined person can go on-line and access a lot of information about a teen. It isn’t rocket science.

Some parents who have viewed their teen’s on-line profile are stunned at what they see and read. For parents, it is often “TMI” (an on-line abbreviation for “too much information”) and may even include details of behaviors such as alcohol or drug use, or even sexual encounters.

Why would my teen post such personal information about herself?

Most teens actually don’t realize that people other than their closest friends will view the information they post. In most cases they do this innocently. Teens probably post information as a way of trying to gain acceptance from their peers. Sometimes the information is true and often a surprise to parents, though in some cases what teens write about may be far from the truth. For example, one 15-year-old posted that she was “drinking & partying with friends”, but in reality she was at home babysitting her younger siblings. She most likely wanted to impress her friends by making up a story that she thought would make her popular.

What can I do as a parent to discourage my teen from posting inappropriate information about herself?

Acknowledge that although it may be exciting to post information on a social networking site, remind her that the information is available for the world to see. Advise your teen to set her Myspace, Facebook or other social networking profile as “private”, so that she can decide who has access to it. Talk about how future employers, college recruiters, coaches and others frequently check on-line profiles. Give this example: “If you feel comfortable taking a copy of your profile with you on a job interview, college interview, etc. your profile is probably okay.” But if your teen indicates she would be embarrassed by this, she should probably edit what she has posted on her profile. Profiles can be changed very easily.